Do you want a new flag for our city? Mayor Iveson wants your feedback!

I’ll be honest with you…I had no idea we had a flag in YEG, but this is it.

Yesterday Mayor Iveson said

“Though I love the symbolism of our current flag, its design has been often critiqued. When we turned a crest into a flag, we sacrificed readability and simplicity. There was an excellent TED talk about flag design from a few years ago that uncorked a continuing discussion in Edmonton about updating this important symbol of our city. In this talk, Mr. Mars suggests there are five basic symbols of good flag design:

Keep it Simple.

Use Meaningful Symbolism.

Use Two or Three Basic Colours.

No Lettering or Seals/Coats of Arms.

Be Distinctive.”

And then presented us with a different option, a flag designed by Ryan McCourt. Ryan’s flag was part of an art contest judged by First Nations leaders.

“My motion is meant to get the conversation going about what’s right for our city, and I’m not presuming the outcome. I’d like to hear from people on their views on the current flag and their views on Mr. McCourt’s flag. His design represents an important kind of symbolism: Reconciliation with First Nations, Metis and Inuit Canadians. Edmonton is leading a national conversation about reconciliation, and reassessing the symbols we use to represent ourselves is part of that journey.” Says Mayor Iveson.If you want to give your feedback on the flags, you can go here!